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Freda Kelly's story is a prime example of how life can sometimes trump anything created by a novelist or screenwriter. Picked by Brian Epstein from a multitude of love-struck teenage girls who hung out at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, she became his full-time employee and secretary of the Official Beatles Fan Club. For 11 years, Kelly had a first-hand look at the rise and fall of the most important rock band in history. How well she responded to that amazing opportunity is the subject of the new documentary Good Ol' Freda.
The friendly and familiar tone of the title fits this woman perfectly. Kelly's easy-going manner enabled her to weather Epstein's notoriously volatile moods, connect with fans on a truly emotional level, and become like one of the family to The Beatles and their parents. But as the band became overwhelmingly popular and Epstein found it necessary to bring in more young women to help open the mail, it was Kelly who made sure the work didn't dissolve into a gigglefest. And she wasn't above sacking anyone who proved untrustworthy.
Good Ol' Freda uses archival film and photos of The Beatles' early days, along with a series of interviews with Kelly at home and while visiting noteworthy sites like the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. There is also sporadic commentary from a few of her contemporaries on how dedicated she was to her work and The Beatles. Kelly's sense of discretion and loyalty is a running theme throughout Good Ol' Freda. She could have made a fortune by writing a tell-all account of the Fab Four's inner circle, but has remained out of the limelight for decades instead.
On a few occasions when she's asked to comment on a delicate matter in the documentary, she smiles coyly and insists some things should remain secret. Most of her recollections are upbeat; like how much John, Paul, George, and Ringo enjoyed signing autographs and were willing to accommodate even the more unusual requests from fans.
"Nothing was a problem," Kelly recalls of the lads' genial attitude.
Kelly initially used her home address to receive fan mail until her father objected. She visited Starr's mother once a week for tea, and got dancing tips from Harrison's father. She was also along for the ride when The Beatles were devastated by the death of Epstein, and when the band began splitting apart. For the first time in her career, she felt the need to shade the truth, telling members of the media that The Beatles were doing fine. Still, she's come away with a deep respect for the four musicians who weren't much older than her when she first met them at The Cavern.
"I'm very proud that I worked for them," Kelly states at the end of Good Ol' Freda.
Brian Epstein received a long overdue induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year. It's often been said that he saw something in the young Beatles that so many other people in the music industry had missed. Apparently, he knew something about hiring secretaries as well.


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UPDATE: Miley just responded to Sinead's blog -- comparing her to Amanda Bynes, who is currently at a rehab facility after undergoing psychiatric treatment.
"Before Amanda Bynes.... There was...." Miley posted on Twitter along with a photo of tweets from a account once linked to O'Connor, where she mentions "urgently" needing a psychiatrist to get her "back on meds."
Sinead originally made those comments in January 2012 and now no longer sends messages from that account.
Sinead O'Connor has a lot of feelings about Miley Cyrus.
The 46-year-old singer just posted an open letter to the twerk-obsessed 20 year old on her blog -- warning her of the dangers of being "prostituted" in the music business.
Cyrus recently told Rolling Stone that her "Wrecking Ball" video is a "modern" version of Sinead's famous "Nothing Compares 2 U" clip (Watch below). "I wanted it to be tough but really pretty -- that's what Sinéad did with her hair and everything."
But Sinead wants nothing to do with the comparison.
"I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos," she writes in her 1,000+ word rant.
"You also said in Rolling Stone that your look is based on mine. The look I chose, I chose on purpose at a time when my record company were encouraging me to do what you have done," she says. "I felt I would rather be judged on my talent and not my looks. I am happy that I made that choice."
And she didn't stop there.
"The music business doesn't give a s**t about you, or any of us. They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think its what YOU wanted," she continues. "And when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, 'they' will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone."
Though it may sound like O'Connor is slamming Cyrus, she's also a fan.
"As for the shedding of the Hannah Montana image.. whoever is telling you getting naked is the way to do that does absolutely NOT respect your talent, or you as a young lady," she adds. "Your records are good enough for you not to need any shedding of Hannah Montana. She's waaaaaaay gone by now.. Not because you got naked but because you make great records."
While Sinead has been known for doing and saying some really crazy things in recent years, we think she may have a point or two here.
What do you think? Check out Miley and Sinead's videos below and compare.

subset: commoncrawl


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> If there's going to be an award called a "Gold Glove" handed out to a player at each position every year, it should go to the best defensive player at that position for that given year, no?
Apparently not. Before I get into my point, here are the 2012 GG winners for each position:
American League:
C: Matt Wieters, Orioles
1B: Mark Teixera, Yankees
2B: Robinson Cano, Yankees
SS: J.J. Hardy, Orioles
3B: Adrian Beltre, Rangers
LF: Alex Gordon, Royals
CF: Adam Jones, Orioles
RF: Josh Reddick, Athletics
P: Jeremy Hellickson, Rays/Jake Peavy, White Sox
National League:
C: Yadier Molina, Cardinals
1B: Adam LaRoche, Nationals
2B: Darwin Barney, Cubs
SS: Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
3B: Chase Headley, Padres
LF: Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
CF: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
RF: Jason Heyward, Braves
P: Mark Buehrle, Marlins
Plenty of guys were considered "snubbed" at their respective positions because of their reputation for making spectacular defensive plays. Take Mike Trout, for instance. He robbed home runs (literally going up the wall and bringing the ball back into the park) on three occasions this year as the center fielder for the Angels. But why did Jones win?
Statistically, Jones actually had a better defensive season than Trout; Jones had the better defensive WAR. Denard Span of the Twins also had a better defensive WAR than Trout.
In my opinion, that's the way it should be- the guy who is statistically the best defender at each position should win. That happened in a few cases this year: Rollins had the best fielding percentage among NL shortstops, Barney committed just two errors at second base (which led NL second baseman, obviously), Teixera had just one error all year, Cano was tied for first in fielding percentage at second base, and so on.
But, of course, when it came to the possibility of a Brewer getting a Gold Glove, he got screwed. Aramis Ramirez led the NL in fielding percentage and had the fewest errors among qualifying third basemen. So who obviously wins the award at third base? Headley, duh.
But why? If one player has better defensive statistics than another player at a certain position, that player should win the Gold Glove. This is the one award I think should be strongly influenced by statistics, because there's always going to be one player who is definitively better than another (statistically) at each position. Most of the defensive statistics go hand-in-hand, so it's unlikely there's going to be two players who each have one better defensive statistic than the other. This is a far different award than something like the MVP or Cy Young Award, in which there are a series of different statistics that don't necessarily go hand-in-hand with each other. That makes for more of an argument for who should win those award, which is why it's okay for there to be voters.
But there shouldn't be a vote for the Gold Glove. There's a best defensive player at each position, and that's that.
> The Brewers signed free agent righty Michael Olmsted to a minor league contract.
> Travis Ishikawa officially elected free agency.
> Two Brewers were selected to play in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game- Hunter Morris and Johnny Hellweg. Morris hit clean-up and went 1-for-1 with an infield single and a sacrifice fly.
> The Cubs nearly sent Carlos Marmol to the Angels in exchange for Dan Haren last night, but the deal wound up not going through. The Angels were looking for anything they could get before they had to decline Haren's option for 2013, but, since the trade didn't come to fruition, they were forced to decline the option. Haren is now a free agent and could be a possible fit for the Brewers.
> 10 teams are reportedly interested in lefty free agent Mike Gonzalez. I'd take him, seeing as the Brewers will be very thin on lefty relievers once again next year (if they have any). Manny Parra, the only lefty in the Brewers' bullpen in 2012, is probably going to be one of the next guys to go.
> Minor moves:
Rockies: Outrighted Carlos Torres to Triple-A; reinstated Josh Sullivan, Todd Helton, Juan Nicasio, and Christian Friedrich from the 60-day DL.
Orioles: Outrighted Lew Ford, Zach Phillips, and Steven Tolleson to Triple-A.
Mets: Outrighted Mike Nickeas to Triple-A.
Twins: Outrighted Sam Deduno to Triple-A.
Royals: Outrighted Manny Pina to Triple-A; reinstated Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino from the 60-day DL.
Mariners: Signed Hisashi Iwakuma to a two-year extension; re-signed Oliver Perez.
Blue Jays: Acquired Esmil Rogers from the Indians.
Indians: Acquired Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes from the Jays.
Cardinals: Outrighted Steven Hill, Bryan Anderson, and Adam Reifer to Triple-A.
Pirates: Outrighted Ali Solis to Triple-A.
Astros: Outrighted Chuckie Fick to Triple-A; outrighted Brian Bogusevic, Jorge De Leon, and J.B. Shuck, all of whom elected free agency.
Athletics: Re-signed Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal.
Marlins: Signed Kevin Kouzmanoff and Jordan Smith to minor league deals.


text:
Angels agree to terms with RHP Ryan Madson
ANAHEIM, CA – The Angels today agreed to terms on a 2013 contract with free agent reliever Ryan Madson. Today's announcement was made by General Manager Jerry Dipoto.
"We are thrilled to have Ryan on board," said Dipoto. "His pedigree as a Major League reliever is unquestionable, and his experience in championship situations will be a big boost to our bullpen."
Madson, 32, signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds last January 13 but did not appear with the club during the 2012 campaign after undergoing "Tommy John" surgery April 11.
Across nine big league seasons with Philadelphia, Madson has posted a 47-30 career record with 52 saves and a 3.59 ERA (630 IP – 251 ER). He ranks third on the Phillies' all-time games pitched list with 491, trailing only Hall of Famers Robin Roberts (529) and Steve Carlton (499).
His finest season came in 2011, when he assumed the Phillies' closing duties and registered a 4-2 record with 32 saves and a 2.37 ERA (60.2 IP – 16 ER). In 33 career postseason appearances, Madson holds a 2-1 record with two saves, a 2.31 ERA (35 IP – 9 ER) and 43 strikeouts.
A native of Long Beach, CA, Madson currently resides in Temecula, CA. He is a 1998 graduate of Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, CA.


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- Duration: 5 Days
Traditionally this tour will have your more mature traveller who like fantastic hikes in small groups
Operates only June to September, departing each Tuesday.
Pick up from 06.30am in Darwin.
Max 9 passengers.
Day 1 – Darwin – Kakadu
Pick up from nominated accommodation at approximately 6.30am
Drive to Kakadu via the old Jim Jim Road stopping off at white lily billabong for a stretch and some morning tea.
Then its off to Gunlom Falls for a great hike to the top of the waterfall for great views and a swim in the refreshing pools. Don't forget to explore the sandybeach at the base of the falls that leads to a large plunge pool.
Tonight we camp at Gunlom by the waterfall, away from the crowds & under the stars.
Showers and toilets are available.
Meals: Lunch & dinnerDay 2 – Kakadu/Koolpin Gorge
Today we spend the whole day exploring the magnificent Jarrangbarnmi (Koolpin Gorge), this is a special permit access area that is recognised for its cultural and environmental sensitivity
The name Jarrangbarnmi comes from the Jawoyn words jarrang meaning flood, or big water flow, and barn meaning rift or gap
Jarrangbarnmi was created by the Jawoyn creation ancestors. It is part of Buladjang country. Bula created this landscape and then went to live under the ground. Bolung (Rainbow Serpent) lives in plunge pools in this country. Both of these powerful creation ancestors can cause earthquakes, storms, floods and disease if disturbed
Koolpin Gorge is in the southern corner of Kakadu National Park, not far from Gunlom Falls
The walk up the gorge is a real wilderness walk and requires a good level of fitness with great rewards on arrival to some of the National Parks most spectacular rock pools, waterfalls and rock landscape.
This remote location is restricted to only 40 people per day and it home to a number of endemic species of fauna.
Return to our camp at Gunlom and tonight we enjoy a dinner cooked on the campfire.
Fitness: 8kms
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
This morning we drive north to Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) where we have the entire day to hike, explore and swim in beautiful swimming holes, avoiding the crowds.
A 4-wheel drive adventure takes us to our destination. Upon arrival we take a 1km walk through paperbark and monsoon forest then along a sandy and rocky creek to a small waterfall and that lead us to a beautiful clear plunge pool.
There are small interconnected pools among the rocks that flow into a small lake. The guide will share a few secret swimming holes here including a little secret passage under water connecting two pools.
Here we will also have lunch then a bit more exploring before we make our way further north to Jim Jim Falls.
Tonight we camp at our exclusive safari camp at Garnamarr, at the base of the escarpment.
Fitness: 3kms
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
After breakfast we do some 4 Wheel driving to Twin Falls. From here we take the escarpment walk to the top of the falls for a swim in the crystal clear pools away from the crowds.
Then we'll find a shady spot by Jim Jim Creek for some lunch.
A short climb up Budjimi Lookout will reward you with spectacular views of the ancient Arnhemland escarpment.
After lunch, a 1km walk through monsoonal vine forest to the base of Jim Jim Falls for a relaxing afternoon swimming in the plunge pool and resting on the beach.
Tonight we camp at Mardugal, Showers and toilets available.
Tonight we replenish ourselves with the Great Aussie BBQ
Fitness: 5kms
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 5 – Kakadu
This morning we visit Nourlangie Rock, an ancient aboriginal occupational and art site, here we can explore these sites before walking up to Gunwhardewharde lookout for an exceptional view of the region including Arnhemland.
We then stop off to visit Bowali information centre.
As we make are way back to Darwin we will call in to the Mamakala wetlands to see the incredible bird life.
We finish our Kakadu tour with a wildlife cruise on the spectacular Corroborree Billabong. This is a great opportunity to get fantastic photos of the local wildlife.
Head back to Darwin, returning at approximately 5.30pm.
Fitness: 3kms
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Itinerary may be done in reverse at Guides discretion.
All itineraries are subject to change without notice due to seasonal and extreme weather conditions, national park road or attraction closures and cultural commitments from Traditional owners. All tours must be reconfirmed 24 hrs prior to travel.


text:
Here at Scholars of Shen Zhou, just as is done in most any other moderated internet community, members who continue to violate forum rules despite warnings and explanation from moderators are eventually banned. In general, we operate under a 'three strikes' policy in which offenses expire after three months. If a member does accumulate three warnings, they will usually be issued a temporary ban (lasting two weeks). If problems persist, or if the offense was serious, the ban will be made permanent (they can view the forum, but cannot participate).
We list all such actions here so fellow Scholars know why a friend may have vanished.
<i>October 30, 2006: Cleared. Four months with no ban, four years of old entries.</i>


text:
Main Page
From Klaus' wiki
Hi and welcome to my spot in the internet galaxy
On this wiki I will collect my thoughts about this and that - mostly work related.
What is written here expresses only my personal opinion not necessarily the opinion of Aarhus School of Engineering, AU-Herning or AU in general.
Where there is a shell, there is a way
My public profile is here.
Use the links below or the menu to the left to navigate on this Wiki.
Software Development in general
Embeded systems in general
Wise Words and funny stuff
Links to the world
More or less depricated links
Embedded Systems: EEMB1 EEMB2 EESY1 EESY2
Building Embedded Distributions EBLD1
Programming Mobile Devices EPMD1


text:
Critics of Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration expressed dismay Sunday at the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Maryland, charging that he deliberately underplayed the state's problems in setting up its health care insurance exchange.
Republican gubernatorial candidates and General Assembly leaders said there needs to be a serious inquiry into problems outlined by The Baltimore Sun, including a conflict between the prime contractor building the exchange's website and a key subcontractor.
"We're seeing it was handled very unprofessionally and ineptly and the citizens of Maryland are paying for it," said Sen. Minority Leader David Brinkley of Frederick County. "The legislature as a whole is, I think, interested in dissecting this whole thing."
According to emails obtained by The Sun through open records laws, the conflict between contractors contributed to the flubbed launch of the exchange site on Oct. 1 and subsequent delays in fixing it. The article also noted that administration officials were more aware of the months-long strife — now being played out in federal court — than they had admitted publicly.
GOP leaders, as well as some Democrats, said the contractors' problems in no way relieve O'Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown — the administration's point man in implementing federal health reforms in Maryland — of responsibility for the botched launch. The website was created to allow the estimated 800,000 uninsured Marylanders shop for health insurance under reforms known as Obamacare. But like the federal site, it ran into problems as soon as it opened.
House Minority Leader Nicholaus Kipke of Anne Arundel County said he believed he had been lied to by people in the governor's office about the extent of the problems. "They kept manipulating the numbers," he said.
Kipke said the governor should have disclosed the severity of the problems as soon as they became apparent and should have taken the site off line until the problems were fixed.
"It would have taken real leadership for the lieutenant governor and the governor to get a real understanding of just how many defects were in this exchange. Realistically speaking it didn't work at all," he said.
Del. Pete Hammen of Baltimore, speaking for the House Democratic leadership, said the immediate priority should be website repairs rather than an investigation. He expects lawmakers to focus on what went wrong during the legislative session that begins in January.
The website's problems, which were followed Friday night by the resignation of the woman who was running the exchange, continued to resonate Sunday in the 2014 gubernatorial race.
Larry Hogan, an all-but-official candidate for the GOP nomination said the state should commission an independent audit into the "incompetence and complete lack of management in the O'Malley-Brown administration." He charged that 73,000 Marylanders had lost insurance even though the state awarded a $71 million contract to develop the exchange.
"We need to get to the bottom of exactly what happened … with the wasting of this $71 million," he said. "What we're getting so far is just a complete whitewash and people trying to walk away from responsibility."
Republican candidate Ron George, a state delegate from Anne Arundel County, said many of the problems with Maryland's exchange were a result of overreach in Obamacare. "You cannot overnight create a make-believe new and different economic system that is intended to fund health care and expect it to work," he said.
Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, a Democratic candidate who has been pummeling Brown over the exchange's malfunctions, declined to comment on the report that conflict between Noridian Healthcare Solutions and subcontractor EngagePoint Inc. was hampering the rollout.
Brown's other Democratic rival, Del. Heather R. Mizeur of Montgomery County, said, "This isn't about politics or blame, this is about getting health insurance to Marylanders."
Jim Pettit, a spokesman for Republican candidate David R. Craig, said the Harford County executive believes Brown's lack of direct involvement as the two contractors argued was "unacceptable."
"The revelations show that he had his head in the sand and was not involved in the core problems plaguing the exchange," Pettit said.
Brown has said he is actively involved in seeking a solution and will conduct regular briefings on the health exchange starting this week. He indicated that the administration is open to conducting an inquiry — but not right now. He said the immediate focus should be on fixing the website "so we can in the next 100 days or so deliver the best system to perform for the people of Maryland."
O'Malley said in an interview last week that testing during the summer and early fall led state officials to believe they would have far fewer problems when the site went online.
"A longer testing period might have allowed us to prioritize and address more of these problems before the launch date," he said. "Time and ultimate success will tell whether the decision to purchase off-the-shelf software and employ multiple contractor entities were good or bad decisions."
O'Malley said the exchange has been functioning better in recent days, and called for the major problems to be fixed by mid-December. He set that deadline just a day after the state health secretary told legislators he was unsure when the website would be free of glitches.
O'Malley said further improvements are a top priority of state information technology chief Isabel Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald recently took over key operational duties from Rebecca Pearce, the state agency official who had overseen the creation of the exchange. Pearce resigned after coming under criticism for taking a week's vacation in the Cayman Islands around Thanksgiving, while the state was still wrestling with website problems; Carolyn Quattrocki was named as an interim replacement.
O'Malley's chief of staff, John Griffin, said Sunday that the governor decided the best way for contractors to deal with the website's problems was to leave it up and fix them as they went along. He noted that the state has taken the site off line at night and on weekends to make improvements.
Jared Smith, a spokesman for Brown, said the lieutenant governor's reference to 100 days does not represent a change to the administration's goal of making improvements by mid-December. Brown was referring to the end of the open enrollment process March 31.


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- Font:
- +
- -
Guests: Joe Klein, Nia-Malika Henderson, Sam Stein, Pete Simi, Frank
Meeink, Michael Steele, Ed Rendell
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Trouble in Sherwood Forest.
Let`s play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews in Washington.
"Let Me Start" tonight with this -- "Romney Hood." According to
Obama, he`s the guy who raises the taxes of the middle class, cuts the
taxes of the rich. And this is how Obama wants to you see this coming
election. It isn`t about how are things going for you, it`s about who are
you going to trust? Who`s going to look out for you? And this guy he
calls "Romney Hood" is going to take from you and give to the rich.
Looking at the Romney tax plan, by the way, it`s a fair look at
things. Those in the top brackets do get a bigger percentage tax cut off
their bigger income and their higher rates. Those at the bottom get a 2
percent cut off of their lower rates and against their relatively skimpy
incomes. His plan, Romney`s, would take from the regular people, in other
words, use that money to reward Romney`s rich supporters. It`s all true.
He is "Romney Hood." And the only question is why it took so long for
someone to call him that.
Joining me tonight is Howard Fineman of the Huffington Post, who`s
also an MSNBC analyst, and Joe Klein of "Time" magazine. Gentlemen, two
smart guys here.
Romney Hood. Is this thing going to stick, Howard?
I think it`s a very sharp attack. And I think it will because, as you say,
it`s not so much about the numbers, Chris, as it is about the idea of
character and values in your leader.
You`re not on an ocean liner here. We`re in a rowboat in the economy.
Who are you going to trust to take command in the rowboat to protect you?
Who`s going to protect you? Who`s going to look out for you in these tough
In an odd way, the tough times that we`re experiencing now
economically play into this Obama theme. He`s not bragging about the
economy or bragging about the future, he`s sort of saying, Times are tough.
Who is going to protect you? Who`s going to protect your taxes? Who`s
going to protect your government benefits?
MATTHEWS: Yes.
FINEMAN: Who`s is going to be the person who understands your life
and protects it now? That`s his message and that`s his contrast with Mitt
Romney. It`s really, in a way, an old-fashioned Democratic theme, but it`s
one he`s using now.
MATTHEWS: Joe Klein, your thoughts about life in Sherwood Forest
because implicit in this attack is that we`re all the little people.
We`re, in fact, the serfs, if you will, worried about the powers that be.
We`re all in this together, except those people at the very top are hanging
around with the sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John and all the bad guys.
MATTHEWS: I remember all these characters.
JOE KLEIN, "TIME" MAGAZINE: I got to say, you know, the Romney
campaign goes from bad to worse. In the spring and through most of the
primaries, his positions on taxing and spending were pretty responsible.
But then he comes up with this utterly ridiculous tax plan that the Tax
Policy Center accurately represents.
What we`re talking about here is how to pay for it. And if we pay for
it the way Romney claims he`s going to pay for it, by eliminating
loopholes, then obviously, if everything is paid for, the middle class is
going to have to pay more.
It is an absolute lie, what the Romney campaign has been putting out
about this program. There are no details other than the cuts. It is a
completely irresponsible program. And the amazing thing to me about the
Romney campaign at this point is that every single day, they seem to step
in something else. Today it was welfare reform.
MATTHEWS: Yes. Well, let`s take a look at this. Here`s how the
president pinned that "Romney Hood" tag on Romney last night. It`s funny,
biting and may just stick. It says in one word that Romney would help the
rich and hurt everyone else. And let`s listen to it.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He`d ask the middle
class to pay more in taxes so that he could give another $250,000 tax cut
to people making more than $3 million a year.
OBAMA: It`s like Robin Hood in reverse.
OBAMA: It`s Romney Hood.
MATTHEWS: Well, I think Romney woke up this morning with that arrow
pointed right into his forehead because he came back with this. Today, his
staff obviously came up with a comeback line for him because he`s not that
original. He saved it, of course, for his favorite resting hole, Fox News.
Let`s listen.
MITT ROMNEY (R-MA), FMR. GOV., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We`ve been
watching the president say a lot of things about me and about my policies.
And they`re just not right. And if I were to coin a term, it would be
"Obama-loney." It`s -- he`s serving up a dish which is simply in
contradiction of the truth. And it relates to everything from how I`m
going to help the middle class to tax policy. He`s just simply saying
things that are not accurate.
MATTHEWS: Well, the Robin Hood theme that the president introduced
last night has gone out there on the Web, and lots of people are talking
about it. Look at this. A site called MemGenerator (ph) has a Romney Hood
page. Here it is, Romney Hood, takes from the poor and gives to the rich,
tax breaks for me but not for thee. And Sherwood Forest, where are all the
trees -- where all the trees, I should say, are all the right height,
playing off another number there.
But when you look at the numbers here, guys, it is true. If you`re
going to cut everybody 20 percent, look at what happens. Say you`re in the
35 percent bracket, right at the top. Well, that means you save $70,000
off a million bucks.
If you`re in a lower bracket, you don`t get a 7 percent tax cut, you
get, like, a 2 percent tax break because 20 percent off of 10 percent, if
you`re in the lower rate, is a 2 percent cut, 20 percent off of 35 percent
gets you down to 28 (INAUDIBLE) cut.
The math is clear. There`s nothing fair about it. It shifts the tax
breaks -- the tax breaks to the top and shifts the burden to the bottom,
FINEMAN: Well, Chris...
MATTHEWS: It`s so obvious. And by the way, you can`t deny what he
said himself.
FINEMAN: No, I don`t think you can. And as Joe was pointing out,
part of the problem that Romney has and one reason he leaves himself so
vulnerable in this and other cases is that he doesn`t give any details of
what he`s supposedly talking about.
MATTHEWS: About the -- about the bracket elimination...
MATTHEWS: ... he does says the tax cuts are going to be this 20
percent thing.
FINEMAN: Yes, I know. That`s clear, too. But as Joe said, you`ve
got to pay for it somehow. And if you don`t explain it, then people are
going to assume, rightly, the worst. They`re going to assume that you`re
going to take away tax benefits or tax breaks that benefit the middle
So time and time again, Romney`s lack of specificity, his willingness
to -- his unwillingness to talk about his taxes, about his life, about his
tax plan leaves him open to this kind of attack, justifiably, I think. And
I know the Romney people that I talked to just earlier today, they`re in a
sort of apoplectic mood right now. They`re furious...
FINEMAN: They`re furious about the other attacks...
FINEMAN: ... but they don`t seem to...
MATTHEWS: Why didn`t...
MATTHEWS: ... but why didn`t he answer what was in his bag when he
went to the hardware store today? Why did he say, Hardware stuff? Why`d
he say...
MATTHEWS: What`s the big secret?
FINEMAN: That`s typical. That`s typical, Joe.
MATTHEWS: Joe?
KLEIN: It`s no surprise that the guy is awkward. But I think the
point that Howard`s making is important here. Romney said that he wasn`t
just giving these cuts but that they would be revenue-neutral...
MATTHEWS: Right.
KLEIN: ... that he would pay for them. However, what the Tax Policy
Center, which, incidentally, is an organization that the Romney campaign
was praising during the primaries -- what the Tax Policy Center proved was
that there aren`t enough tax loopholes to pay for this unless you start
going into things like the mortgage interest deduction, the charitable tax
deduction and a lot of other things that really, really affect the middle
class in important ways.
FINEMAN: But I think more than that, Chris, I think -- I think that
in this and other things, Mitt Romney doesn`t seem to quite get the idea
that he needs to be forthcoming about what he`s proposing to do.
MATTHEWS: But let`s face it, he admits in his program here and his
plan that the biggest beneficiaries of his whole economic program, as he`s
released it, are people at the very top. They get the biggest break on
their taxes. And there aren`t enough loopholes in the world...
FINEMAN: Right. Well, that`s...
MATTHEWS: ... at the top, especially, to pay for these. So in other
words, the rich are going to get richer...
FINEMAN: Yes.
MATTHEWS: ... and the people at the bottom are going to pay for it.
And that`s pretty obvious.
FINEMAN: Yes, I think...
MATTHEWS: And I wonder what his plan is to explain that.
FINEMAN: Well, I don`t think he has one...
MATTHEWS: Or deny it.
FINEMAN: I asked -- I asked...
KLEIN: He hasn`t explained anything!
FINEMAN: I asked one of his people earlier today -- I asked one of
his people earlier today about it, Chris, and they said, Why do you want to
talk about this tax plan? We want to talk about Harry Reid being like
FINEMAN: ... Harry Reid being like Joe McCarthy.
MATTHEWS: That`s so weak!
FINEMAN: Don`t talk about the tax plan. Talk about what a horrible
guy Barack Obama is.
MATTHEWS: Joe, let`s run through the inventory of what the guy won`t
talk. He`s not going to talk about his religion. That`s his call. I
think he could do a little better explanation, but that`s his call. That`s
fair. That`s a totally political question.
KLEIN: Fair enough.
MATTHEWS: He`s decided not to explain it. He doesn`t want to talk
about his job as governor of Massachusetts, his only public office ever,
because he doesn`t want to admit that he was a moderate up there, I guess,
is what he was. He doesn`t want to talk about his business because he
can`t explain it or whatever.
What does he -- he won`t talk about what`s in his grocery bag.
FINEMAN: And taxes.
MATTHEWS: He won`t talk about what he bought at the hardware store.
He won`t explain his tax plan. What will he talk about? He`s willing to
say one thing, The economy sucks, let`s get rid of Obama. That`s all he
ever basically says, isn`t it?
KLEIN: Yes. This has to be the -- you know, one of the least -- if
not the least substantive campaign...
MATTHEWS: How about Nixon in `68?
KLEIN: ... that I`ve ever seen.
MATTHEWS: What do you think?
KLEIN: He won`t -- he won`t talk about -- well, Nixon and -- Nixon
had a secret plan to end the war.
KLEIN: But in this case, he won`t talk about what he`s going to do to
replace "Obama care," if he repeals it, which he can`t do. He has never
said what he would do about financial reform, about breaking up the big
banks on Wall Street. His tax plan is now a mirage.
You know, the guy -- and -- and, you know, in foreign policy, over and
over again, he makes a fool of himself by saying very aggressive things
that have no basis in fact or reality or detail.
FINEMAN: I think the next thing that they`re going to talk about,
Chris, on the -- from the Romney side, they`re going to try to make an
issue of the way they`re saying Barack Obama and the Democrats are running
their campaign. In other words, they`re going to -- they`re going to talk
about the Harry Reid attack on...
MATTHEWS: Oh, yes.
FINEMAN: ... on taxes and so on. And they are going to -- they`re
going to run a, Have you no decency, Mr. President...
MATTHEWS: Oh, the mean campaign. The mean campaign...
MATTHEWS: Let`s take a look at the -- let`s...
FINEMAN: That`s equally lacking in...
FINEMAN: ... you are going to do.
MATTHEWS: Running a tough, aggressive campaign is exactly how Romney
got this far. I wouldn`t talk about it.
Here`s a new Obama ad that goes directly at how little Romney pays in
taxes. It isn`t just effective, it`s true. "The Washington Post"
political fact-checking site, which gives out Pinocchios for untruths,
gives this ad the rarely seen Geppetto, meaning completely accurate.
Here`s part of the ad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You work hard, stretch every penny. But chances
are, you pay a higher tax rate than him. Mitt Romney made $20 million in
2010, but paid only 14 percent in taxes, probably less than you.
MATTHEWS: So now they have the one tax return he`s given us and
they`re -- and they`re hitting him on that one, Howard.
FINEMAN: Yes. Well, I think it`s a -- I think it`s a fair -- it`s a
MATTHEWS: Your thoughts? A Geppetto, according to "The Post," it`s
accurate. Joe, last word.
KLEIN: Well, you know, this hasn`t been a really high-minded campaign
on Obama`s part, either. But you know, when you look at the stuff that
Romney rolls out day after day and you see how the Democrats are countering
it with their oppo research, as they did today on welfare reform, you got -
- you just have to say that the Democrats are maybe one or two steps ahead
of the Romney camp so far in the parry and thrust of this campaign.
MATTHEWS: Yes. Yes, I think there`s something stiff and vacuous
about the guy as a candidate. He`s not offering us who he is. Whoever he
is, he ain`t showing. Anyway, thank you. Thank you, Howard. Thank you,
Joe. Thanks for coming.
Coming up: "Categorically false" and "blatantly dishonest." That`s
what the White House today called Romney`s attack on some new welfare
requirements. More on that coming up next. Welfare mother -- we`re back
again, "welfare queens."
Also, hate music, the racist and violent that was relished by the man
behind Sunday`s mass killing at a Sikh temple, what we`re learning about
this underground source of hate, this hate rock. Never heard of it before.
And Sarah Palin`s ready for her close-up, but does the Romney campaign
want the camera on her? The debate over whether Palin should have a
primetime role at the Republican convention. Nothing goes away, ladies and
gentlemen, especially not Sarah Palin.
Finally, dinosaurs living side-by-side with human, environmentalists
desperate to -- environmentalists desperate to destroy the world`s wealth.
That`s in the curriculum for Louisiana`s schools at taxpayer expense,
courtesy of Governor Bobby Jindal. Wait`ll you catch some of these
textbooks they`re using down in Louisiana.
This is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: Well, voters are actually heading to the polls today in
four states, Missouri, Washington state, Kansas and Michigan. The most
interesting race out there tonight is the Republican primary for Senate in
Missouri among Congressman Todd Akin, former state treasurer Sarah Steelman
and businessman John Brunner. Well, the winner takes on Democratic senator
Claire McCaskill, and she`s vulnerable. But she`s also a good friend of
this show.
Polls close within the hour, at 8:00 Eastern. Republicans are
counting on a November win in Missouri to help them win control of the
Senate. They need to net four seats to win, provided President Obama wins
We`ll be right back.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. Welfare politics seems to
conjure up memories of Bill Clinton`s mid-`90s reform of (ph) Reagan`s
tales of "welfare queens." Remember how he talked about then (ph)? But
it`s back, thanks to a new misleading Romney campaign ad. Take a look at
this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1996, President Clinton and a bipartisan
Congress helped end welfare as we know it by requiring work for welfare.
But on July 12th, President Obama quietly announced a plan to gut welfare
reform by dropping work requirements.
Under Obama`s plan, you wouldn`t have to work and wouldn`t have to
train for a job. They just send you your welfare check, and welfare to
work goes to back being plain old welfare. Mitt Romney will restore the
work requirement because it works.
MATTHEWS: Well, that`s a devastating ad of that gets through as
truth. Actually, last month, the Department of Health and Human Services
said it`d allow states to receive waivers to implement their own programs
for welfare recipients. And not only did two Republican states recently
ask for them, but Mitt Romney himself supported a similar plan for states
when he was governor of Massachusetts.
Sam Stein writes for the HuffingtonPost and Nia-Malika Henderson`s a
reporter for "The Washington Post."
Nia, let me ask you about this. Is there any truth to the charge that
we are getting rid of work as a requirement for welfare payments?
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, "WASHINGTON POST": No. There`s absolutely no
truth to it. I mean, if you look back at this memo that came out in July,
it basically says that the HHS won`t consider any waivers that
significantly reduce work. In fact, the only way you can get approved for
a waiver is if it increases work by 20 percent. As far as I can tell,
there`s no difference between Romney`s stance and Obama`s stance. I
MATTHEWS: Yes, well, it sounds terrific, the way they sell it.
HENDERSON: It sounds terrific. These ads are running. I was
watching the Olympics today and they`re running during the Olympics. So
this is their new...
MATTHEWS: No, this is Willie Horton stuff. Look at (ph) it (ph).
Not surprisingly, White House press secretary Jay Carney took to the podium
today to correct the Romney ads as falsehoods. Let`s watch.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: From a policy standpoint,
let me say that this advertisement is categorically false and it is
blatantly dishonest.
This administration`s policy will strengthen the program by giving
states the opportunity to employ more effective ways to help people get off
welfare and into a job. Under this policy, governors must commit that
their proposals will move at least 20 percent more people -- more people --
from welfare to work.
And as we have made very clear under our policy, any request from any
state that undercuts the work requirement in welfare reform will be
MATTHEWS: Well, the interesting thing, Sam and Nia -- I`m going to
get into this thing rather heartily here. The pictures of the wholesome
family there concerned about welfare cheating are white people. And the
implication here is pretty clear that the people that are getting these
welfare checks without working are not white people.
This is the old stuff that Romney is resorting to here. It`s familiar
territory. It`s Willie Horton stuff. It`s the same old stuff Reagan used
to engage in, talk about "welfare queens" and "young bucks" waiting in line
with their food stamps to get vodka. I lived through all that stuff. I
know all the code. This is code.
Your thoughts, Sam?
SAM STEIN, HUFFINGTONPOST: I mean, The history is pretty clear on
this, and I think you illuminated it just there. I would add two other
components to the ad. One is that, you know, there`s been a concerted
effort to make it seem that Bill Clinton is the good centrist Democrat to
Barack Obama`s radical liberal Democrat. I think it`s been a recurring
theme for the Romney campaign. I think this ad gets at it, as well.
Secondly is whole notion of government dependency from cradle to the
grave. It`s another theme the Romney campaign is hitting. It goes along
with this ad, as well.
My only -- the one other thing I would like to stress is that I wonder
if there is a price to pay for campaigns to run ads like this in terms of
how their facts are so distorted and wrong. It seems like -- and it works
on both sides of the aisle -- campaigns have increasingly decided that
there is a limited price to pay in terms of public opinion...
MATTHEWS: Yes.
STEIN: ... for just throwing out distortions, and that they might as
well do it because it can filter through to the media. And who knows how
many people in swing states will see and it how many people in swing states
will actually watch shows like this.
MATTHEWS: Well, you and Nia are younger than -- to remember this.
Fortunately, you didn`t grow up in this particular generation that still
engaged in this crap.
Here is Ronald Reagan, who was a good man in some ways, some ways,
starting his campaign in 1976 and onward, often referring to welfare queens
who collected checks under multiple aliases. Let`s watch him in action.
RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In Chicago a couple years
back, a young woman was getting checks under 127 different names.
MATTHEWS: You know, that`s something from "Human Events." I don`t
know where he got it from. But this is stuff you can pick up in the
malarkey, want to pick it up in -- and to everybody watching, I say come to
Washington, D.C., by the way, and get up early around 6:00, and go around
the neighborhoods like North Capitol and Florida Avenue and watch all the
people going to work in the morning when you made judgments about people.
It is the old: Blacks are on welfare, the whites are working hard and
getting screwed. It works brilliantly if your target audience is working
HENDERSON: That`s right. And we saw Santorum. We don`t really need
to go back to Ronald Reagan. Rick Santorum basically said when he was
campaigning in Iowa that he would be of the kind of president that wouldn`t
give black people other people`s money, that he would give them actual
jobs. Of course, he later rescinded that and said he was referring to blah
people. I don`t know who those people are.
MATTHEWS: Isn`t it interesting? Sometimes you want to be a little
bit unclear maybe.
HENDERSON: Yes. Yes.
And Newt Gingrich, this whole idea of Barack Obama being a food stamp
president, we know where this comes from. And we do conjure up in this
society a certain image when you invoke welfare. This is the throwback to
1996. I think this has long been settled, this idea that work should be a
component of welfare.
MATTHEWS: Well, you`re a reporter.
Sam, are you some kind of -- I think you are some kind of a wonk, so
you appreciate this. Isn`t it true -- I`m not a wonk, obvious after all
these years.
STEIN: Sure. I will take it.
MATTHEWS: Isn`t it true that most welfare checks and most food stamps
go to working -- I mean, poor, working poor white people, statistically?
STEIN: Yes. That`s true.
HENDERSON: That`s right.
MATTHEWS: Yes. The game they play is, no, that`s not the picture you
are supposed to get.
I think we should show again -- we will show it later tonight -- so
won`t keep doing it tonight. But that ad basically is about wholesome
white people around the hearth at night concerned about...
MATTHEWS: Yes, Sam?
STEIN: I just want to also make the point that we have now gotten
into a point in the campaign where candidates are basically competing on
who can make it tougher for welfare recipients to get their checks.
The frame of the debate is very odd because, by and large, the vast
majority of welfare recipients desperately want to work. They would love
nothing more than to be off of welfare. They want to get a job. And now
we are at the point in the campaign where each campaign has to say we are
going to be tougher on welfare recipients, as if they don`t have it tough
already. I think the whole frame is off a little bit.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
HENDERSON: And they are in there -- it is also this idea that somehow
this is a huge part of the federal budget. I think it is something like 5
MATTHEWS: It`s like foreign aid.
HENDERSON: That`s right. Exactly.
MATTHEWS: Anyway, I`m quitting. I`m going on welfare. That`s my
career plan.
MATTHEWS: Anyway, pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA...
STEIN: Smart move, Chris.
MATTHEWS: No, I`m first -- released this ad today. This is pro-Obama
hoping to bring the conversation back to Bain, of his existence.
JOE SOPTIC, WIFE DIED OF CANCER: When Mitt Romney and Bain closed the
plant, I lost my health care. And my family lost their health care.
And a short time after that, my wife became ill. I don`t know how
long she was sick. And I think maybe she didn`t say anything because she
knew that we couldn`t afford the insurance.
And then one day, she became ill, and then I took her up to the
Jackson County Hospital and admitted her for pneumonia, and that`s when
they found the cancer. And by then, it was stage four. There was nothing
they could do for her. And she passed away in 22 days.
I do not think Mitt Romney realizes what he has done to anyone. And,
furthermore, I do not think Mitt Romney is concerned.
MATTHEWS: Well, that`s pretty rough.
HENDERSON: It is pretty rough. This guy Joe Soptic, he is becoming
like Joe the plumber of this cycle. I actually talked to him today.
He feels this stuff. He remembers it very well. Of course, he has
moved on with his life.
MATTHEWS: He knew about Bain when they did their takeover.
HENDERSON: He knew about Bain. He was there in 2001 when he got laid
off. He was making $46,000. He had to become a janitor, where he was
making $15,000. He didn`t have any health...
MATTHEWS: He lost his health.
HENDERSON: He lost his health insurance. He almost lost his house.
And so, I mean, he has been a pretty good surrogate. You have seen him in
several of these ads.
MATTHEWS: It`s tough.
MATTHEWS: Last word, Sam.
STEIN: I mean, I just want to say this ad has been actually fact-
checked in the interim. It looks like there are distortions with this one,
The wife unfortunately died six years after Bain closed the plant.
She also had access to other insurance in the interim. And it`s very tough
to charge Mitt Romney with being tied to her death. So, if we are going to
be equal opportunity fact-checkers...
HENDERSON: And he doesn`t do that. He actually doesn`t want to have
STEIN: Well, the suggestion -- hold on, hold on. The suggestion is
obviously made. Otherwise, they wouldn`t have put out the ad. So, I think
we have to call a spade a spade and say this one probably pushed it.
MATTHEWS: What do you think the guy is saying there? What do you
think that guy is saying, though? What do you think he thinks?
STEIN: What he thinks is that his wife ended up getting thrown off
insurance and then they had to scramble for her coverage. Listen, that`s a
legitimate statement -- thing to be concerned about.
And it is fair to say, yes, Mitt Romney was more concerned about
profit than his workers` health care. But then to throw Romney into a
conversation where you are talking about this woman`s death six years
later, I think is a bridge probably too far.
HENDERSON: I asked him about that. And he said he didn`t necessarily
make that link either, but that his main point was that he felt like Romney
cared more about profits, didn`t make good on some of the promises that
Bain made to secure their pensions and health insurance. And that was the
main point of that ad.
MATTHEWS: Well, let`s see more of these cases. If there is a pattern
here, it is going to hurt him a lot.
Anyway, thank you.
Because the old idea of breaking some eggs to make your omelet, well,
it isn`t this guy`s omelet. It`s Mitt Romney`s omelet. He is just a
broken egg. He is the broken egg, as his wife is part of that.
Anyway, thank you so much.
And, by the way, it`s not so hard to grab another job these days when
you lose yours.
Thank you, Sam Stein.
And thank you, Nia-Malika Henderson.
STEIN: OK, Chris.
MATTHEWS: Up next: more examples of Republicans who want to use tax
dollars to ignore science and even history. Human living alongside
dinosaurs, it may square with the Bible, but not with history,
unfortunately. There are not recent histories of dinosaurs living with us.
There`s no footprints in the Bible.
Anyway, that`s coming up next in the "Sideshow."
CONAN O`BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": Mitt Romney is claiming he`s going to
create 12 million jobs in his first term.
O`BRIEN: However, Romney hasn`t said yet whether he will create those
jobs in China or India. He`s not sure. He`s still thinking.
MATTHEWS: Well, we`re back to HARDBALL and the "Sideshow."
Yesterday, I told you about the successful landing of the space rover
Curiosity up on Mars. Well, the rover was using so much new technology,
untested technology, that the moments before touchdown became known as the
seven minutes of terror.
Stewart and Colbert highlighted the occasion last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This big huge parachute that we have got, it will
only slow us down to about 200 miles an hour. So, we have got to cut it
off and come down on rockets.
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": We are never
going to make it.
STEWART: What happens next?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We must cut the bridal immediately and fly the
descent stage to a safe distance from the rover.
STEWART: The rover is now ready to collect rocks.
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": We now have two rovers
on the surface of Mars and three satellites orbiting it. Basically, if the
planets are a tray of doughnuts, we have now licked Mars.
COLBERT: It is ours.
COLBERT: We already had the moon. We just need Venus for the
monopoly and we can start building hotels on them.
MATTHEWS: Well, today, we got the first color photograph from the
rover, kind of a postcard format -- there it is -- provided by NASA. It`s
still pretty tough, as you can see, to make out much of what`s happening on
the Red Planet.
Finally, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal`s new education voucher
program for his state provides government funding for students to attend
private schools. Well, this is certainly one solution to failing public
schools. But a lot of people are flagging a problem with over 100
Louisiana schools participating.
At least 19 of them go the creationist route for science classes. And
according to "Mother Jones" magazine, the textbooks used by some of the
schools in the program contain some questionable arguments.
For example, from one science textbook -- quote -- "Bible-believing
Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and
humans were definitely on the Earth at the same time and may have even
lived side by side within the past few thousand years."
Well, from an economics textbook -- quote -- "Global environmentalists
have said and written enough to leave no doubt that their goal is to
destroy the prosperous economies of the world`s richest nations."
Well, and a history textbook -- quote -- "Perhaps the best-known work
of propaganda to come from the Depression was John Steinbeck`s `The Grapes
of Wrath.` Other forms of propaganda included rumors of mortgage
foreclosures, mass evictions and hunger riots and exaggerated statistics
representing the number of unemployed and homeless people in America."
Well, we al thought that was history. Anyway, the purpose of the
vouchers slated to begin this fall is to give parents an alternative to
failing public schools. And students will still take part in state
testing, but some are calling for much stricter regulation on what`s being
taught in these private schools that are getting the voucher money.
And I agree.
Coming up next, we will go inside the hate rock movement, the music
scene that was relished by the suspected gunman in Sunday`s shooting
massacre in Wisconsin. We will meet a former neo-Nazi who was once a fan
of that hate music next.
You`re watching HARDBALL. Don`t leave your seats. This is the place
for politics.
PAGE HOPKINS, MSNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Page Hopkins. Here`s what`s
Texas is set to execute an inmate who was diagnosed mentally impaired.
Marvin Wilson was convicted of killing a police informant decades ago. His
lawyers argued his I.Q. of 61 puts him below the competency standard, but
the Supreme Court refused to stop Wilson`s execution.
In the meantime, the man behind the gun at an event for Gabrielle
Giffords last year will be spared the death penalty. Jared Loughner pled
guilty to the Arizona shooting in a deal that puts him behind bars for
And now let`s take you back to HARDBALL.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
More details are emerging now about Wade Michael Page, the gunman who
police say killed six and injured three at a Sikh temple this Sunday,
including the powerful role that music had in his life and the white
supremacy culture, a genre referred to as hate rock that spouts racist
lyrics and is used in recruitment efforts.
For more insight, let me bring in Frank Meeink. He`s author of an
autobiography of a former skinhead. And also back with us from yesterday
is Pete Simi, a professor of criminology at the University of Nebraska who
met Page, the suspect, during the course of his research 10 years ago.
Gentlemen, thank you so much.
Frank, let me ask you about it. Just tell your own story. I`m not
going to push in any direction. How did you get involved with skinheads,
with hate rock, the whole thing? And what did you learn? What made do you
it? What made you change?
Well, you know, I got into it when I was about 14. I had a pretty
rough home life. And I was a pretty fearful kid. When this kind of came
into my life, here were people that gave me attention. They talked to me
about my home life. And the music part came in real quickly, because, you
know, I can go to so many Bible studies to preach hate. I can go to a
couple of meetings here and there. But what I need with me at all times
was something to keep backing up my beliefs. And the music was definitely
that part for me.
MATTHEWS: How did -- what role did race play in the whole thing, the
race part?
MEEINK: The race -- I mean, race became my religion.
What I thought of everyone else was that they were inferior to the
white race, and that the white race is now being duped into believing
anything by the Jewish media, and that the black races and what they call
in the movement the mud races are taking everything from us.
So -- and it gave me an outlet. When I feared something, now I got to
be the person putting the fear on the world. That`s how I felt, being part
of this movement committing hate crimes, gay bashing, you name it.
MATTHEWS: Well, you`re out there -- and give me -- give me a scene
where people are playing hate rock and people are enjoying it. What`s that
like? What`s the feeling and the sentiment of that room?
MEEINK: You know, driving in a car with a bunch of skinheads,
listening to music about kicking people`s heads in, you know, finding
people of other races to destroy.
And you are sitting in a car with a bunch of you`re friends looking
for victims, it really keeps the drum beating, it is time for action.
MATTHEWS: So you think the music drives bad behavior, racist
behavior, physically?
MEEINK: It physically helped us and also the racist music is what
keeps the movement young. If it was than for the music that keeps getting
people into this, you know, you would have that old image of the Klan
sitting on the front porch with the shotgun.
Music keeps the newcomers involved. It keeps them wanting to be part
of this. It keeps them, again, wanting to be -- portray what`s going on in
the music. The music is -- I mean, I can`t -- stress how much the music is
to them.
MATTHEWS: Well, let`s go back to Pete. It give as you bigger sense,
this great individual story which we relish having on. So, it brings
reality to it. Frank is giving us that.
Pete, tell us what the role you see across the country that this hate
rock plays in causing bad behavior and tragedy like we just saw on Sunday
in Wisconsin.
SIMI: Well, Frank mentions it is music is central to the movement.
The music in some ways to a large extent is the movement or is a very big
part of the movement. It provides opportunities for recruitment. It
provides opportunities to generate revenue.
And probably most importantly, it provides a variety of different
occasions for individuals of like mind to come together and who share a
common cause. It helps them sustain their beliefs and provides them in a
sense of reinforcement. The lyrics are laced with ideas of violence and
aggression. The dances are aggressive. The tattoos are shown off and
reinforced, you know, prominent symbols like swastikas and others.
And so, everything about the music is -- it provides a great
opportunity for these folks to reinforce their mindset.
MATTHEWS: You know, Frank, when I heard you talking about the appeal
of hate rock and joining the skinhead groups, reminded me of all I heard
about African-American kids in tough neighborhoods, terrible home
situations being drawn by their -- the gang members. They say you can be
part of something now. You can feel at home in a way you don`t want to be
at home. And it just sounds like that.
You know what I mean?
MEEINK: No. Absolutely. My crew, of guys, my gang, that`s what we
were, too, they gave me accolades for my violence. Frankie did this or --
those guys in Philadelphia did that. We got pats on the back. You know.
And not to slam my parents and my parents weren`t the best parents to
me and -- they didn`t give me those things when I came home. I didn`t get
home and have my parents, how is school today, son? How are things going
in life? It just didn`t happen. It`s not a sob story, just the truth.
And these guys --
MATTHEWS: You didn`t get a peanut butter sandwich and apple when you
came home? You didn`t get treated --
MEEINK: Absolutely not.
MATTHEWS: No. Let me ask you, how are you doing now? I need to
know. You are a Philly guy from south Philly and moved up there. Where
was the second neighborhood you moved to? You said you moved to a black
neighborhood from a white neighborhood, Irish neighborhood.
MEEINK: Yes, I moved from -- yes, second street in south Philly to
southwest Philadelphia, around 70th and Woodland Avenue, which is pretty
much at that time all black and I went to an all black school.
You know, how am I doing now? I have to tell you what changed me was
people showing me compassion, you know, at every turn. And even with my
hateful things, I had a Jewish antique dealer, I had swastika tattooed on
my neck, who gave me a chance and took, you know, a chance on letting me
work with him and used to give me accolades when I did smart things.
And when I would be -- times in my head or where I would say out loud,
"I`m so stupid" which -- see, I was an egomaniac, low self-esteem. I`m
mentally ill in a way, and he would say, man, you are one of the smartest
guys I know.
And I would have these things continuously happening in my life, and
it was compassion. That`s what I have to do today. I have to wake up -- I
had to wake up this morning and know I`m going to show compassion to
someone. Not am I going to get up and fight with the right wing guy or
left wing guy or argue with somebody, or you know, worry about issues of --
I`m going to show compassion to the next person I come in contact with.
That`s always helping my life change for the better.
MATTHEWS: Frank, I think everybody watching doesn`t hardly know you -
- knows you a little bit and they`re rooting for you. I wish everybody was
so honest. Thank you so much for coming on our show at this particular
time after this horrific violence so we can get to understand individuals
like you.
Anyway, Pete Simi, you`ve come a long way, you helped us so much and
helping us get to something. Maybe we will be better off for knowing this.
Certainly, Frank is on the right trail and I wish him well, especially
because he`s a Philly guy.
Up next, Sarah Palin would love a primetime speaking slot at the
Republican convention. We are going from the serious to the insane right
now. This conversation about her is getting primetime is great to watch
because it`s -- the whole thing is idiotic.
If she really deserved a place on the platform, she`d have one. But
this is a dickering back and forth between her and Romney. It is fun to
Wait until you see the other people that might be speaking. I hope
they do, so we know what they all stand for.
This is HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: If you are looking for clues still as to whom Mitt Romney
may choose as his vice presidential running mate, you might want to watch
Wikipedia. Four years ago, Sarah Palin`s Wikipedia page was updated at
least 68 times the day before McCain picked her. Boy, that was a looming
indicator, far more than any other potential running mates. McCain was
thought to be considering.
And today, Rob Portman has got all the action. His Wikipedia pages
have been updated at least 86 times today. And that`s more than four times
as many updates as the next leading contender, Marco Rubio. Ted Pawlenty
and Paul Ryan are all in the single digits as for changes on their
Wikipedia page.
So, could Portman be the pick?
Well, stay tuned, we always say. Be right back.
MATTHEWS: We are back.
A few more names were added to the list of speakers at the Republican
convention coming up in Tampa later this month, including Jeb Bush, Rand
Paul, he`s a senator from Kentucky, and Rick Santorum.
But one name remains conspicuously absent so far. Where`s Sarah
Palin? Would Mitt Romney actually keep her from speaking in prime time?
And if he does, could Palin go rogue and just go outside?
Last night, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince
Priebus, weighed in. Let`s watch.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS: Let me ask you about the conventions
coming up. Not on your speaker list so far, Governor Palin. Is she going
to speak?
REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: I can`t make that announcement tonight,
but certainly she`s great. And we -- I think a lot of her, and hope that
she does speak.
MATTHEWS: So will Palin get an invitation? What are the potential
risks and rewards of a Palin speech?
Michael Steele is the former chairman of the Republican National
Committee. Ed Rendell is, of course, the former chairman of the Republican
National Committee and perhaps more important, governor of Pennsylvania.
Anyway, both are MSNBC political analysts.
I want to start with Michael.
Reince Priebus beat you, right?
MICHAEL STEELE, FORMER RNC CHAIRMAN: Yes.
MATTHEWS: That`s kind of interesting.
STEELE: Yes.
MATTHEWS: Losing to that guy, that must be a hard life. That`s a
hard life.
STEELE: That`s another show.
MATTHEWS: See, here`s the question.
STEELE: Yes, sir.
MATTHEWS: Palin, she has apparently rented some real estate right
near where we`re operating in Tampa --
STEELE: Yes.
MATTHEWS: Right outside where some kind of shopping mall there, where
she`ll be able to give her speech without permission. She can start
speaking at 9:15, 10:15, anytime she wants. She can wait for the V.P.
nominee to stand up and she`d give her speech and challenge him. What`s
going to stop her?
STEELE: That`s not going to happen? That`s -- I mean, look --
MATTHEWS: So, what`s going to happen?
STEELE: I don`t know what`s going to happen. I think at the end of
the day, the Romney campaign will inform the RNC as to whether or not
she`ll speak and then, Reince Priebus will announce it, and that`s how that
will work. And until such time Palin will go about her business doing her
thing. I think it would make a lot of sense to have her speak quite
MATTHEWS: When all the networks on?
STEELE: Yes, absolutely. I think --
MATTHEWS: Governor Rendell, do you think it`s smart to have her?
Would you try to regulate her, make sure you saw her speech ahead of time?
What would you do if you`re Romney, who`s a very careful guy?
ED RENDELL, FORMER DNC CHAIRMAN: Well, first of all, it`s my
understanding, and correct me if I`m wrong, Chris, that the networks are
only going to devote an hour a night?
MATTHEWS: Yes.
RENDELL: Is that correct?
MATTHEWS: Yes.
RENDELL: Well, you can`t, when you think of the list of speakers, you
have to have the keynote, you have to have John McCain, you have to Romney,
you have to have the vice presidential nominee. There really isn`t a whole
lot of time to put her in that one-hour slot.
I would give her a slot when CNN, MSNBC, FOX are covering before the
10:00 slot and I would ask her to submit written remarks so we could screen
them -- if I were the Romney team and the RNC. But --
MATTHEWS: But why would she take a deal like that? Why would she
walk off the primetime stage when she can reach four times as many people
by saying, damn it, guys, I deserve, I was on the ticket last time. I
deserve to speak between 10:00 and 11:00 Eastern Time. You got to put me
there or I`m going to speak outside at the same time in the mall the same
time you guys are trying to sell some loser on primetime? What`s to stop
RENDELL: Well, I think at that point, it`s a question of are you a
wuss or not? You have to stand up to Sarah Palin if you`re the Romney
MATTHEWS: Your favorite word. You have a book with that in it.
RENDELL: No, it`s absolutely true. Chris, it`s absolutely true.
They can`t let her call the shots. They have to call the shots. And she
should be on the convention.
She should be on MS. She should be on CNN. She should be on FOX.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
RENDELL: But you`ve only got four hours and you got a boatload of
people you have to cram in there. It`s only three hours, excuse me. Three
hours. That`s right. So you really don`t have the time.
STEELE: I think -- I think, look, you have to look beyond the
convention and what Sarah Palin can and will do for the party and the
nominee post convention. Organizing, grassroots, getting the base fired
up. Give her -- look, you`re not talking -- she`s not going to talk for an
hour. You give her 10 minutes, 15 minutes tops, and primetime, to speak to
the country, to speak to the base, to speak about the direction we need to
go in.
Her support for Mitt Romney and this team, whoever his vice
presidential nominee is, I think that`s a good thing. It can help. It
can`t hurt.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
STEELE: And certainly, it can help him galvanize the base out of the
MATTHEWS: Governor, will they start the party, among the people in
the burbs who are somewhat undecided, quickly, yes or no -- will she hurt
if she`s on primetime?
RENDELL: No, no, not if she speaks and not if she speaks and doesn`t
say anything out of school.
MATTHEWS: OK. Thank you so much, Michael Steele and Ed Rendell.
We`re having fun with this baby.
When we return, let me finish with who I think should speak at the
convention. Wait until you hear the list of -- well, they`re pretty much
insane people.
You`re watching HARDBALL, the place for politics.
MATTHEWS: Let me finish tonight with this. I see a little friction
developing over whether former Governor Sarah Palin should speak at the
Republican national convention.
I say, let her speak. Let her bring down the house with that history
lesson of hers, about how Paul Revere did that midnight ride of his to keep
the Brits from taking away our guns.
I say, let them all speak.
Let`s have U.S. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, let`s get her up there
to launch her latest crusade against anti-American Democrats in the House
of Representatives and those Muslim Brotherhood agents she says are working
in the office of the secretary of state.
And let`s not limit this. Newt Gingrich deserves a turn. He can
remind us of how women shouldn`t serve in combat unlike men who he says are
natural fighters because we have a God-made urge to go out and hunt
And how about having Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert, Iowa Congressman
Steve King and, of course, Donald Trump, all give another course of the
latest birther theories. And Allen West who says there are 78 to 81
communists among the Democrats in Congress, and Sharron Angle to explain
how we can use our Second Amendment remedies if we don`t like the other
speakers, and what t they have to say. And Christine O`Donnell to deny the
witch charge again.
And what about those other folks on the right? Let`s hear from Frank
Gaffney. Have him explain why the government is infiltrated by the Muslim
Brotherhood, starting with a sequence of the people around George W. Bush.
And Glenn Beck to call the president a racist once more, and Rick Santorum
to say again that Mitt Romney is the worst Republican in the country to run
against Obama, and Rush, the underwater walrus, to do that dance of his.
And when all those voices are serenading us from every corner of
Tampa, when the country can hear all of the crazy cacophony of the right,
when they can hear the loud large screeching of bedlam on primetime, they
will know what awaits them should this election take their turn.
And what can we call this symphony of the absurd? How about caveat
emptor? Let the buyer beware. Because this is the bedlam they could, just
five months from now, have ruling our republic.
And that`s HARDBALL for now. Thanks for being with us.
"THE ED SHOW" with Ed Schultz starts right now.
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If this were a large multinational company and some of its employees died in the performance of their duties and if the HSA found systemic failures as a contributory factor, like lack of oversight and not making sure SOP's and procedure was correctly followed, heads of that multinational may well be brought up on corporate manslaughter charges.
If this was a civil flight training operation we wouldn't even be having this discussion, heads would roll. To hide behind "opsec" and "military operations" is a smoke screen. Yes it was a military a/c on a VFR TRAINING FLIGHT.
We all remember the tragic loss of two firefighters in Bray in 2007. There is still a legal case pending that involves senior FF officers and County Council figures in Co Wicklow. One of the issues is that they were not provided with a safe working environment so as not to put employees at risk. It's is no doubt in relation to SOP's and training.
As for the PC9 crew, do they not have the same rights to a safe working environment???
And Dev. I 100% believe what was first written in the papers and then brought up in the Dáil by Joe Higgins. OK maybe the papers can lie but I doubt a TD would in the Dáil! Also considering the Cadet's family are so dissatisfied with the report that they are going down the political route would suggest to me they have seen it!
Not following their own SOPs, in particular with reference to training did contribute to the accident. The lack of following SOPs is fully down to lack of oversight by the Unit OC, Flight Safety and at the head of the chain the GOC. Taking the view that systematic issues weren't pointed out in black and white by the AAIU (Read between the lines and they very much were) therefore they had absolutely no part in this accident is quite frankly nothing more than sticking your head in the sand and waiting for it to happen again. How the Defence Forces in general can condone this is quite frankly beyond me.
Don't you think it's possible that if there were regular audits of FTS and if there was proper oversight that this accident may not have happened?
If I am on the range and I let off a round by accident? Who's to blame? Me? The Range officer that didn't bother to clear my weapon? Or the instructor that didn't train me correctly. Change any one of those and I might not have fired the ND.
The D248 report was probably the most circulated report ever, in the Don's history of crash reports. They were always confidential, even being kept from serving personnel. A lot of what the enlisted troops knew/ know about accidents either came out because they witnessed it or tidied up afterwards. I was involved in tidying up after a few of them and was not privy to any accident reports; it was strictly Officer eyes only and even then, it was officer participants and Board members and designated postholders who got to see them. Is it the same in the case of Army and NS accidents?
If you are, you must be more knowledgable than the expert INDEPENDANT AAIU !!
Who didn't find it to be a contributing factor !
The AAIU has no problem assigning contributing factors to the AC as D248 proved!
The report into the PC9 may not actually state it but it can't not be a factor.
Answer this Dev. According to your very blinkered view of the report if its not written down as a contributing factor then it has nothing to do with this accident. However, if the issues such as lack of oversight and lack of training in low level aborts had nothing at all to do with the accident why bother even putting them into the report at all?If you are, you must be more knowledgable than the expert INDEPENDANT AAIU !!
Who didn't find it to be a contributing factor !
FACT: They are in the report and there is very good reason for it....BECAUSE THEY WERE FACTORS....maybe not DIRECTLY contributing but contributing none the less otherwise the very knowledgeable, independent experts of the AAIU wont have wasted their time putting them IN THE REPORT!!!!
Following a court proceeding this thread has been reinstated.
For various reasons, we will be keeping a close eye on it, Members are reminded to respect the fact that 2 people lost their lives in this accident and left grieving families.
Members of the Air Corps are free to post here, but keeping their own identity from their superior/fellow officers and men is their responsibility alone.
"We will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could do with some whiskey"
Radio transmission, siege of Jadotville DR Congo. September 1961.
Illegitimi non carborundum
Will the former COS be called to account to be asked why he blocked the progression of the investigation within the AC?
Covid 19 is not over ....it's still very real..Hand Hygiene, Social Distancing and Masks.. keep safe
Murph, interesting post, I can see why the mods suspended this thread , I assume you have very strong evidence for this allegation against a retired COS, hope he or his legal advisor aren't on IMO !
MOD: Lads this is serious and involves courts actions.
Unless there is evidence/reports in the public domain then it is not to be discussed here
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A pair of Devon landlords have been fined over £6,000 and ordered to pay costs after being prosecuted over repeated failures to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of their tenants in Newquay.
On January 2014 at Truro Magistrates Court, Cornwall Council's private sector housing team successfully prosecuted landlords Michelle Rachel Bathe and Stacey Darren Bathe of The Old Stable, Barns Hill Court, Cheriton Fitzpaine, Crediton, Devon EX17 4HX for failing to comply with the requirements of the Housing Act 2004 and the duties imposed under the House in Multiple Occupation Management Regulations 2006 in respect of their property at 11 Trebarwith Crescent in Newquay.
An unannounced inspection of the property was carried out on May 8, following a report from Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service that it appeared that the fire alarm at the building was not working.
The council says that numerous breaches of House in Multiple Occupation Management Regulations were identified and Mr and Mrs Bathe were informed of these breaches in writing but failed, over a significant period of time, to carry out the necessary works to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of their tenants.
The works identified as necessary ranged from the submission of a valid gas and electrical safety certificates to failing to maintain fire precautions. There was also general disrepair of the property and of the communal areas and garden.
The defendants did not attend the hearing and the case was heard and proved in their absence.
The Court fined the defendants a total of £6,000 (£3,000 each) and a victim surcharge of £120.
Costs of £1,873.52 were awarded to Cornwall Council.
A council spokesman said; "The council wants to help tenants get a better deal in Cornwall. Key to this is improving property standards in the private rented sector, identifying rogue landlords and taking steps to drive them out of Cornwall. The council's private sector housing team are focusing now on how to achieve this by putting into place the right mix of advice, assistance and regulation.
Cornwall Council cabinet member for homes and communities, Geoff Brown, said: "Cornwall Council values the contribution made by well-managed houses in multiple occupation within the local housing market but will continue to intervene in these types of property to ensure minimum standards are maintained.
"As indicated by this case there are landlords who flout the law by failing to ensure their properties are safe. Other Cornwall landlords who operate in this way can rest assured that in order to protect the health, safety and welfare of tenants in private rented accommodation, the private sector housing team will not hesitate to take action against irresponsible landlords.'


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"Footloose" is a remake of the 1984 musical about a city boy, played by the young Kevin Bacon, who comes to a small southern town and, literally, shakes things up. That earlier movie, which is now rather erroneously being referred to in the promotional material as a "classic," was studded with soon-to-be Top Ten Hits and had a youth-pandering storyline: Because of a fatal accident that killed five teenagers after a night partying, the town council of a small southern community, led by a fire-breathing preacher, outlaws teen dancing.
This same premise holds for the remake, and it seems more pandering (and dated) than ever. Once again, Ren MacCormack (newcomer Kenny Wormald) is the good-hearted misfit who just wants kids to be able to have fun before they morph into old-fogy adults. Dennis Quaid, in the John Lithgow role, is Rev. Shaw Moore, and he's actually somewhat of an improvement. Lithgow seemed to actually breathe fire whereas Quaid seems less demented, more down to earth. He's riven without being bug-eyed.
The preacher's troubled daughter is played by "Dancing With the Stars" phenomenon Julianne Hough, and it would have been better if her role had showcased more dancing and less acting. Co-writer and director Craig Brewer, working with the original's screenwriter Dean Pitchford and producing team, can't seem to work up a filmmaking rhythm. The dancing numbers, which are so tame you wonder what all the heavy-breathing was about, are awkwardly shoehorned into the melodrama. Ren, as in the original, even gets to deliver a speech to the town council citing various passages in the Bible where dance is celebrated. He's a pretty crafty guy even though the movie makes him out to be as pure as the driven snow. Grade: C (Rated PG-13 for some teen drug and alcohol use, sexual content, violence, and language.)


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